In a mouse model of pneumococcal pneumonia-induced lung injury, a moderate dose of pneumolysin (1.5 μg/kg) or a low inoculum of D39 pneumococci (2 × 106 CFU) induces significantly higher capillary leak (measured as Evans Blue permeability from the vasculature into the alveoli) in tamoxifen-inducible endothelial ENaC-α KO mice as compared to control CRE driver mice. This evidence concerns the gene SCNN1A and pneumococcal pneumonia.